Why Your Refrigerator Compressor Makes a Clicking Noise and Refuses to Start

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IMAGE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. You head into your kitchen to get a glass of water, and you realize that your refrigerator is totally silent. Then you hear it; a small hum, followed by a loud, sharp click of what sounds like metal on metal. Three minutes later, that same hum and click repeats again. When you open your freezer, your ice cream is already beginning to melt. That click click click sound is the universal distress signal of a dead refrigerator. Most people assume that the entire appliance is not repairable and will start looking for a brand new one, but in fact 80% of the time your compressor motor will actually be fine, the problem just lies with one small and cheap electrical part on its side. Below is a detailed electrical and mechanical explanation of exactly why your refrigerator is clicking, what is actually not starting, and how to accurately diagnose it: 1. What is that "click" actually (Overload Protector)? This clicking is NOT coming fr...

How Much Power Does a 5-Star AC Actually Save? (A Real Load Calculation)

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So you go into a store wanting to buy a 1.5 ton (18,000BTU) air conditioner. Sales person leads you to two air conditioners that look identical and asks you if you would like the "normal" 3-star (average efficiency) or the "high efficiency" 5-star for only $200 more. The salesman then proceeds to guarantee it will "cut your electric bill in half" and "pay for itself in just a few short months." From my point of view doing personal load calculations, this isn't totally true; 5-star ACs absolutely save energy but it depends on how many watts and what the cost of electricity is. Below is a calculation of the true saving that a 5 star AC offers, and if it's worth paying an extra $200.


1. How the stars are earned.

Regardless of star rating, SEER or EER (these are all different kinds of rating systems), the principle is always the same, which is how much cooling the AC can provide in Watts versus how much power it is taking in Watts.


The bigger the rating the more watts of power that is supplied from the unit for each Watt of power it is consuming.


Typical 3-star (normal) 1.5 ton AC consumes 1100 watts.

Typical 5-star (high efficiency) 1.5 ton AC consumes 850 watts.


2. Realistic Load Calculations.

Let's take into account what your electric bill actually amounts to. The calculation is that you are running your bedroom AC 8 hours a night for a 180 day period over the summer. (this amount can be changed to suit your AC usage)

The equation used for all electricity cost calculations is;

Total cost= (Power in KW) × (Number of Hours running) × (Number of days the AC is on) × (Electricity rate per KWH).


Here, I am using the standard global electric rate of $0.15/ KWH.


The 3-star units' estimated bill:

• Power: 1.1 kW (means,1100 Watts)

• Daily Consumption: 1.1 kW × 8 hours = 8.8 units/day.

• Daily Cost: 8.8 units × $0.15 = $1.32 per day

• Total Yearly Cost (180 days): $237.60


The 5-star units' estimated bill:

• Power: 0.85 kW

• Daily Consumption: 0.85 kW × 8 hours = 6.8 units/day

• Daily Cost: 6.8 units × $0.15 = $1.02 per day

• Total Yearly Cost (180 days): $183.60


3. Real Savings and Payback period.

Now the real savings of a 5-star unit over a 3-star unit have been revealed.


• Yearly Electricity Cost of 3-Star: $237.60

• Yearly Electricity Cost of 5-Star: $183.60

• Actual Money Saved Per Year: $54.00

Remember that extra $200 you paid to the showroom for the high-efficiency model, To make that money back purely through electricity savings, it will take you roughly 3.7 years ($200 ÷ $54).


4. Deciding What AC is Suitable for me.

The decision really just comes down to your own usage habits.


You should purchase the 5-star if you are running it for a whole day at a time (master bedroom/ home office), and would not mind to pay $200 extra up front for an additional $178 profit that you would save over a 7 year lifespan (average lifespan for an AC unit).


Purchase the 3-star if you were thinking of purchasing it for a guest room or a living room where it is only run on the very hottest part of the day. The unit would take longer than 10 years to pay for the $200 price difference, and you'd probably have to replace it by then anyway.


The Take Away.

Do not believe that just because you bought a high efficiency air conditioner, that you will cut your electricity bill in half.Buying a 5 star AC will save you a few pennies every time it runs, and you should make sure that you would run the AC enough in order to make up for the price difference.